


the boy with the turned-up nose

by garden of succulents (staranise)



Series: the best little gay hockey family in georgia [5]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Gay hockey moms AU, Gen, Meeting the Parents, Parents' weekend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 16:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9770984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staranise/pseuds/garden%20of%20succulents
Summary: Bitty's not ignorant. He grew up around hockey, around hockey players. He knows exactly what he's turning down. Jack's a perfectionist, not a realist.





	

In a hallway in Faber Bob Zimmermann says, “George! I thought I saw you here. How’re you doing?” And as he and George share a handshake and slap each other’s arms he says over his shoulder, “Jack, this is Georgia Martin, Falcs AGM. George, have you met my son?”

As Jack nods briskly and shakes George’s hand, Suzanne and Bitty wander back from where they were looking at pictures on the wall, and George grins and slings an arm around Bitty, snaring him in front of her with her arms.  “This one’s mine,” she says, cheek pressed to his hair, and he suppresses an _Aw-Mom_  squirm so he can focus on giving Bad Bob his charm and holding out his hand.

“Little speed demon, eh?” Bad Bob says. “Nice goal there in the third period.” He lets Bitty thank him (and George releases Bitty so he can talk like an adult) before asking, “I don’t think I’ve seen you on the ice before, were you ever up our way? In Juniors at all?”

“No, sir,” Bitty says. “I played coed in the South, and I was up in Toronto for hockey school a couple summers, that’s all.”

“Well, it’s a nice surprise.” Then Bad Bob looks at Suzanne with a roguish grin. “And this is your sister?” Which is George’s cue to laugh and introduce her partner.

* * *

In the dark outside the arena Jack turns to Bitty, hands stuffed in his pockets, and says, “You could be pro by now,” like an accusation.

“Er, no,” Bitty says slowly. “Or I wouldn’t still need your help with checking. Obviously.”

Jack dashes his hair angrily off his forehead. “You could if you’d been in Juniors.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t in Juniors because until fifteen I was still a competitive figure skater. And I stopped figure skating because to advance I’d need to leave home for training, and I didn’t want to do that.”

“Why _not?_ ” Jack demands.

“Be… cause… there’s more to life than figure skating? More to life than hockey? I wasn’t ready to leave my parents. I got to keep going to a normal school. I had sleepovers with my friends. I got a part in the school musical. Went to church on Sunday. I got to have fun and live life and not get my entire _world_  eaten up by a sport.”  He looks at Jack, who looks like he’s about to denounce Bitty for witchcraft, or heresy. “You should try it sometime.”

Then, at the top of the stairs, the doors open, and Bob Zimmermann calls out distantly; and Jack doesn’t even say goodbye, just shakes his head at Bitty in disgusted disbelief, and turns away to jog back to his dad.


End file.
